Weaving shuttle construction



H. SLOWAK 2,589,972 WEAVING SHUTTLE CONSTRUCTION March 18, 1952 5Sheets-Sheet 1 QFIG.| R

Filed July 1, 1948 ATTOR N EY March 18, 1952 H. SLOWAK 2,589,972

WEAVING SHUTTLE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 1, 194a 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 2

HERMANN SLOWAK,

ATTORN EY March 18, 1952 s ow 2,589,972

WEAVING SHUTTLE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 1, 1948 5 Sheeits-Sheet 3 U 'R SO IO IO FIG. 6- E. l3 r W v M S HERMANN SLOWAK ATTOR N EY March 18, 1952I H. SLOWAK 2,589,972.

WEAVING SHUTTLE CONSTRUCTION Fild July 1, 194a 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I I W KW HERMANN SLOWAK,-

M [WI/M ATTORNEY March 18, 1952 H. SLOWAK 2,539,972

WEAVING SHUTTLE CONSTRUCTION I Filed July 1, 194a s Sheets-Sheet 5 3! nI. M Inventor:

as? HERMANN SLQWAK,

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 18, 1952 UNITED- STATES PATENT OFFICE ApplicationJuly 1, 1948, Serial No. 35,523 In Switzerland July 12, 1947 3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in circular weaving loomsof the so-called disk jects of the invention will hereinafter appear.

A characteristic feature of the circular weaving looms wherein theshuttle, or a plurality of shuttles, according to the present inventionare employed, is their essentially diskor platelike construction. Theyare therefore designated weaving disks or plates. In this disk-like typeof circular loom, the warp: threads extend in such manner that they arearranged like the radii of a circular ring, at the outer edge of whichare disposed the bobbins which take the place of the warp beam, whilethe inner circle edge defines the locus at which the threads are boundto the fabno. the radial direction, the fabric, which forms a tube, iswithdrawn from this point downwardly, that is, in a directionessentially perpendicular to the initial direction of movement.

'The following description and accompanying drawings are directedprimarily to the shuttles according to the invention, and the mechanismfor their operation and guidance. Only that portion of the loom itselfis disclosed, on which the said guiding and operating mechanism is dis-'posed.

' Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary central vertical section through the weavingdisk or plate of a circular weaving loom according to the invention;

Fig. 1a is a fragmentary top plan view corresponding to Fig. 1;

Fig/lb is a corresponding bottom plan view;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a guide roller of theouter series, with a prong-shaped cover plate therebehind;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a guide roller of theinner series, with a prong-shaped cover plate in front thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a guide roller of theouter series, with a widened cover plate therebehind;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing a driving gearaccording to the invention;

Fig. 6 is a partial radial sectional view through As the warp threadsare moved thereto in the weaving disk or plate, taken along line VIVI ofFig. 7, with inserted carriage;

Fig. 7 shows a portion of the weaving plate or disk in top plan view;

Fig. 8 is a side view of a carriage according to the invention;

Fig. 8a is a top view corresponding to Fig. 8;

Fig. 8b shows the said carriage in section along line VIIIb-Vl'lib ofFig. 80.;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic showing of the weaving plate or disk with theshuttle and warp thread;

Fig. 10 shows diagrammatically the shuttle of Fig. 9 from the side,looking toward the center, within the sheds. (Section through the warpthread layer, and projection of the section, the cover plates and theshuttle onto a cylinder which is rolled out onto the plane of thedrawing.)

The supporting member of the loom of the invention is, asaforeindicated, an annular plate or disk P, at. the central opening, ofwhichthere depends a cylindrical sleeve Q (Fig. l) supported on theframe of the machine.

The path of movement of the shuttle according to the invention isdefined by two circular series of guide rollers M and N which aredisposed in a single plane, i. e. are in alinement with each other. Therollers of the outer series M are shown in Figs. 2 and 4, those of theinner series N are shown in Fig. 3, in detached views; The assembledarrangement is to be seen from la and 7. The rollers M and N are asshown, each provided with a groove, by the walls of which are carriagerunners W are retained. The rollers rotate about pins Iii mounted on theattaching plates B and C (Fig. 7) and, by means of these, are secured tothe disk or plate P by pairs in such manner that they are disposed intwo concentric circles, as shown.

The carriage S is the part of the shuttle whereby the latter is guidedand driven. It is shown, more particularly, in Figs. 8, 8a and 8b. Thecarriage is constituted by a fiat metal body D, shaped like a ringsector, provided with overlappinglongitudinal edges. Extension pieces V,attached to the front and rear thereof, and configured as shown in Figs.8 and Sm'impart a streamlined configuration thereto, which permitsunobstructed passage through the shed. The mannerv in which the carriageis mounted on the rollers and guided is shown in Figs. 6 and '7. Thecarriage S is provided at both inner walls with runner ledges W, whichare so configured that, while being securely mounted on the guiderollers M the fork G (see Fig. 6).

3 and N the carriage is still as readily movable as a wheel mounted on aballor roller-bearing.

The carriage is actuated, that is, moved, by means of a gear drive. Anessential member of the latter is the double gear R having a bushing Has intermediate member. This double gear unit runs about a pin l2, whichis mounted in This is screwed onto or otherwise affixed to the disk orplate P by means of spaced flanges [3 (Figs. 5 and 6). The fork Gextends through a suitable opening in the disk P and holds the gear unitR so that, under the disk, it engages the gear wheel Z while above thedisk it is in engagement with the dentated sector K which is mounted onthe underside of the carriage S. Fig. lb shows in plan (as viewedupwardly from below) the parts positioned under the plate P, Fig. 1shows the gear wheel Z in cross section, Fig. 6 shows the outer portionthereof, while the dentated sector K is shown in Figs. 6, '7 and 8b. Thegear wheel Z and dentated sector K have the same pitch circle diameterand the same tooth number. Rotation of the gear wheel Z, which is drivenfrom below by means of the attached bushing H, results in a circularmovement of the carriage in the same direction and at the same speed. Byusing a sufficient number of gears R, the carriage may be caused tooperate as though it were a sector of a circle mounted on a shaft, withwhich it rotated.

The carriages, of which a plurality is always used, their length andtheir spacing are the factors which are of basic significance in theconstruction of weaving disks. The following relationships areprerequisites which are preferably fulfilled according to the invention:To assure proper guiding of the carriage, its length should preferablybe so dimensioned that four to five rollers M, N bear against eachrunner W. The space between the axes of the rollers M, N shouldpreferably be two to two and a half times the roller diameter. Theminimum length of the carriage body is preferably nine roller diameters,and the total length (carriage and attached extensions) preferablythirteen roller diameters. This also determines the space necessary foreach carriage, a sector amounting to about eighteen roller diameters.The circular path is subdivided into as many sectors as there arecarriages. If their number is for example eleven, the circle shouldpreferably have a circumference of at least one hundred ninety-eightroller diameters and ninety-nine pairs of rollers should preferably bemounted on the disk P (nine pairs of rollers for each carriage). Thespace between the gears should preferably not exceed the length of thedentated sector K. Accordingly, a gear R should preferably be providedat each fourth pair of rollers. In the assumed embodiment having elementcarriages, twenty-five gears would thus preferably be used.

.Operation is as follows: Bushing H is driven, i. e. rotated on sleeveQ, from a suitable source of power (not shown) in conventional manner.When the gear wheel Z is thus driven from the bushing H, all gears Rrotate. Each carria e S, regardless of where it happens to be, isengaged by at least one gear R and moves forward on its circular path,comes into the range of the adjacent gear R, is again driven forward,and finally in effect describes the same movement as the driving gear Z.The space between the several carriages remains unchanged during suchoperation.

As stated at the outset, thewarp threads are stretched radially over thedisk P. Contact of the threads with rollers M, N and gears R isprevented by bafiling these parts, which is realized by means of prongedbaflies A, E and O and wire yoke U (Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7).

In order that the described apparatus may be able to function as aweaving shuttle, it is preferred that:

1. The shed should be so formed that one layer of warp threads isarranged above the circularly moving carriage, the other therebeneath,being subdivided into bands by the baflie plates A, E and O. The threadsintermittently alternate their position, since they cross each other inthe space between the rear of each carriage and the point of thefollowing carriage. The sheds in effect describe the same rotatingmovement as the carriages so that the latter are always within thecorresponding shed. Any suitable heddle apparatus may be used for thispurpose. For example, use may be made of that described and claimed inthe applicants application Ser. No. 36,524 filed on even date herewith(now abandoned), according to which for example a cam cylinder orcylinders may be integrated, i. e. caused to rotate simultaneously withthe bushing H and, upon such rotation, to effect the up-and-downmovement of the heddles in correlation to the movement of the weavingshuttles.

2. The weft thread spool should be mounted on the carriage, thusconstituting the weaving shuttle. Figs. 8, 8a, 8b and 9 show the spoolcarrier T and the spool F, Figs. 8 and 10 showing the position withinthe shed.

3. Weft and warp are combined into fabric form by suitable means, per senot part of the present invention, preferably mounted on the inner edgeof the disk.

In order to provide an example of the aforedescribed relationshipsexisting between the described elements, Figs. 9 and 10 diagrammaticallyrepresent a weaving disk with four shuttles. Each of the two pathsprovided for guiding the carriages consists of fifty rollers. Thecarriage bodies are of such length as to encompass six roller pairs. Fordriving, ten gears R are provided. Figs. 8b, 9 and 10 show the warpthreads tensioned over the disk .or plate P and forming the sheds. Fig.9 shows the disk with the four shuttles in plan (details being omitted),Fig. 10 shows the'latter viewed from the side (diagrammatically),direction of sight being toward the axis of the loom, the projectionsurface being developed on the plane of the sheet of drawing. The firstquadrant extends from 0 to 1, the second from 1 to 2, the third from 2to 3 and the fourth from 3 to 4. The direction of movement is indicatedby the number series 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. Fig. 8b shows the shuttle within theshed. Fig. 10 further shows the two warp thread bands or webs in theirentire extent, i. e. each in a closed circumference, and that in themanner in which they have to be disposed (under tension) in themanufacture of a linen-weave fabric. The two warp thread bands Z and Zare shown in section (taken between the heddles and spools). This figureshows how the warp thread Z and Z change their position four times inthe course of one complete circular extent, being drawn apart four timesand crossed four times. The weft thread runs from the spool and upon r0-tation of the four shuttles, four weft threads are simultaneouslyinserted.

The width of the shed (in the direction of the warp threads) is limitedby the edge of the fabric and the heddle shafts. These are shiftedoutwardly to the extent necessary to provide the room required by theweft yarn spool (Fig. 8b). Viewed from above (Fig. 9), the shed extendsfrom the inner circle, the edge of the fabric, to the outer circle,which represents the plan view of the cam cylinder whereby the heddlesreceive up-and-down movement parallel to the loom axis. The length ofthe four sheds (their extent in the direction of movement of thecarriage) is shown in Fig. 10. It need only be slightly greater than thelength of the carriage, and is determined by the points at which thewarp threads cross in front of and behind the carriage. The height ofthe shed (Fig. 8b) is determined by the stroke of the heddles.

Having thus disclosed the invention, what is claimed is:

1. In a circular weaving loom of the disk or plate type, a horizontalsupporting annular disk or plate, means for guiding the movement ofweaving shuttles on said disk or plate, said means comprising twoconcentric horizontally spaced circular rows of vertical pins on saiddisk or plate, a peripherally-grooved guide roller mounted for rotationon each vertical pin, the grooves of said several guide rollers beingco-planar, and said shuttles being provided with a pair of spacedco-planar arcuate runners adapted to coact with the grooves of saidrollers, whereby said shuttles are retained in operative position onsaid disk or plate and the movement ofthe shuttles is guided by saidrollers, said guide rollers being so disposed relative to each other andto the runners that at least two pairs of guide rollers are disposedbetween the runners of each shuttle, each pair comprising a roller ofthe inside circular row and an opposed roller of the outside circularrow.

2. In a circular weaving loom of the disk or plate type, a horizontalsupporting annular disk or plate, means for guiding the movement ofweaving shuttles on said disk or plate, said means comprising twoconcentric horizontally spaced circular rows of vertical pins on saiddisk or plate, a peripherally-grooved guide roller mounted for rotationon each vertical pin, the grooves of said several guide rollers beingco-planar, and said shuttles being provided with a pair of spacedcoplanar arcuate runners adapted to coact with the grooves of saidrollers, whereby said shuttles are retained in operative position onsaid disk or plate and the movement of the shuttles is guided by saidrollers, both circular rows of rollers being located within the annulusdefined by said runners during the movement thereof, whereby saidshuttles are retained in stable operative position on said disk or plateand the movement of the shuttles is guided by said rollers, and meansfor positively imparting continuous movement to said shuttles in thepath defined by said rollers, said last-named means comprising adentated arcuate rack integrally associated with each said shuttle, andgear means in driving engagement with said rack, said gear meanscomprising a plurality of double gears, one gear of each said doublegears being in engagement with a driving gear and the other beingengageable with said denated racks, said double gears being circularlyarranged between the two rows of guide rollers.

3. In a circular weaving loom of the disk or plate type, a horizontalsupporting annular disk or plate, means for guiding the movement ofweaving shuttles on said disk or plate, said means comprising twoconcentric horizontally spaced circular rows of vertical pins on saiddisk or plate, a peripherally-grooved guide roller mounted for rotationon each vertical pin, the grooves of said several guide rollers beingco-planar, and said shuttles being provided with a pair of spacedco-planar arcuate runners adapted to coact with the grooves of saidrollers, whereby said shuttles are retained in operative position onsaid disk or plate and the movement of the shuttles is guided by saidrollers, both circular rows of rollers being located within the annulusdefined by said runners during the movement thereof, whereby saidshuttles are retained in stable operative position on said disk or plateand the movement of the shuttles is guided by said rollers, and meansfor positively imparting continuous movement to said shuttles in thepath defined by said rollers, said last-named means comprising adentated arcuate rack integrally associated with each said shuttle, andgear means in driving engagement with said rack, said dentated arcuaterack of each shuttle being arranged interiorly thereof and between itspair of runners.

HERMANN SLOWAK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 194,741 Stowe Aug. 28, 1877446,085 Stowe Feb. 10, 1891 494,107 Lombard Mar. 21, 1893 1,088,061Chernack Feb. 24, 1914 1,357,969 Du Pray Nov. 9, 1920 1,426,641 HirstAug. 22, 1922 1,495,177 Hinsky May 27, 1924 1,683,385 Frederickson Sept.4, 1928 1,965,474 Slot July 3, 1934 1,998,815 Mac Donald Apr. 23, 19352,353,387 Canney July 11, 1944

